Louis Victor Piniella (born August 28, 1943 in Tampa, Florida) is a former left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was most recently the manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 2003 to 2005. His nickname, "Sweet Lou", has two meanings, his sweet swing as a hitter for the New York Yankees where he batted .295 with them, and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a manager.
Playing career
After graduating from Jesuit High School of Tampa, Piniella played at the University of Tampa. Piniella began his professional playing career with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians signed him as an amateur free agent in 1962. Piniella, at the age of 20, played in his first major league game in 1964 with the Baltimore Orioles. At 24, his second major league season was with the Indians.
Piniella played for the Kansas City Royals from 1969-1973, and was the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1969. He was the first player to come to bat in Kansas City Royals history. On April 8, 1969, he led off the bottom of the 1st against left-hander Tom Hall of the Minnesota Twins. He doubled to left field, then scored on an RBI single by Jerry Adair.
That was followed by 11 years as a member of the New York Yankees, where they won five A.L. East titles (1976-78, 1980 and 1981), four A.L. pennants (1976-78 and 1981), and two World Series championships (1977-78).
He wore uniform number 24 for the Orioles, and 23 for the Indians. His longer stretches were wearing number 9 for the Royals, and 14 on the Yankees.
Managerial career
Known for his often aggressive and sometimes explosive behavior, Piniella is one of the most-ejected managers in major league history. He had a reputation for being less than patient with pitchers, often sending his pitching coach to remove them from the game.
Managerial Record:
- 1519 wins
- 1420 losses
- .519 winning percentage
New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds
After retiring as a player, Piniella managed the Yankees from 1986 to 1987 and for most of 1988 before briefly serving as the club's general manager for the rest of the 1988 and 1989 seasons. Piniella managed the Cincinnati Reds between 1990 and 1992, a tenure which included winning the 1990 World Series against the heavily-favored Oakland Athletics.
Seattle Mariners
From 1993-2002, he managed the Seattle Mariners, winning the AL Manager of the Year award in 1995, and again in 2001 when he led the Mariners to a record-tying 116 wins (the 1906 Chicago Cubs accomplished the feat in a 154 game schedule). After winning the ALDS, the Mariners dropped the first two games of the ALCS, and Piniella held an angry post-game press conference where he guaranteed the Mariners would win two of out three games in New York to return the ALCS to Seattle. However, the Yankees closed out the series at Yankee Stadium, and the Mariners did not reach the World Series. Following the 2002 season he signed on to become manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
In his first two seasons with the Devil Rays, Piniella was able to improve the team somewhat, and they won a franchise-record 70 games in 2004, which was also their first season in which they did not finish last in their division. During the 2005 season, Piniella was very critical of Devil Rays' management for focusing too much on the future and not enough on immediate results, and for not increasing payroll quickly enough to field a competitive team (they started the season with a $30 million payroll, which was the lowest in the major leagues).
Tensions eventually made Piniella step down as Devil Rays' manager on September 21, 2005. He had one season remaining on his contract that he signed in October 2002, but agreed to a $2.2 million buyout of his contract, instead of his original $4.4 million that he was due, had he decided to manage the Devil Rays for one more season. He will also receive $1.25 million in deferred salary from 2003.
Awards
1969 - AL Rookie of the Year
1972 - All Star
1995 - AL Manager of the Year
2001 - AL Manager of the Year
Post-managerial career
After parting ways with the Devil Rays, Piniella has recently become a color commentator for Fox Sports, having joined Thom Brennamen and Steve Lyons in calling postseason baseball games. There had been speculation that if Joe Torre didn't return to the Yankees for the 2007 season, Piniella would be considered for the managerial position. That speculation ended on October 10, 2006, when it was announced that Torre was going to remain with the Yankees organization. Brennamen and Lyons then interviewed Piniella in the fifth inning of Game 1 of the ALCS about this situation, with Piniella again repeating that he was upset that Torre had been dragged through the mud.
Future Managerial Possibilities
Piniella was rumored to take over Joe Torre if he was fired because the New York Yankees were eliminated from the 2006 playoffs. The Yankees have since announced that Torre will not be fired and be kept through 2007. Piniella refused to deal with the Washington Nationals because he does not prefer a team that is rebuilding and is out of the running for the San Francisco Giants' vacancy as it is too far from his home. Potentially, Piniella could end up in 2007 managing the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, or even the San Diego Padres.
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career playing statistics and managing record
- Baseball Almanac
- BaseballLibrary.com - career highlights
- Piniella, Rays Parting Ways - Tampa Tribune